Malik Willis has thrown just 155 passes in his NFL career, but the last 89 of them came in front of Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, who helped convince Miami to sign him to a three-year contract this week.
Willis has caught the majority of passes in three starts for the Packers — Hafley and Sullivan were both in Green Bay before being hired in January — in place of Jordan Love, and his success in that role gives Willis a chance to stay in the starting lineup longer. Willis first took on the role with the Titans as a rookie, but his results weren’t as good as he had been the past two years.
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Willis was asked during Thursday’s press conference if he was waiting for another opportunity to hold the position and why he thought he was better suited for it this time.
“I don’t think I put a timetable ” Willis said via Omar Kelly miami herald. “It happened when I was ready. I think I wasn’t ready when I came into the league. It’s not a knock on my coaches or myself, it’s just something that comes with the system that I came from. I’ve had the opportunity to learn over the last four years since I’ve been in the league – been through four different offenses, seen a bunch of different defenses, and I think I’ve grown a lot. Thanks again for the opportunity.”
The Dolphins are betting Willis’ performance will translate from a sample size into an all-around production, enough to make him the latest quarterback to blossom after multiple moves around the league.